Environment 2013 Archive | PBS NewsHour

ABOUT US \| LOCAL TV LISTINGS EMAIL PRINT

ENVIRONMENT


	2013 MAY May 6, 2013 In Poland, Pursuing Valuable Energy Deep in the Earth Fuels Dissent Above Ground Poland recently eased regulations on fracking, with the hope that shale gas will boost the economy, reduce energy dependence and prices. But local residents fear their concerns are taking a backseat to progress. Special correspondent Steve Sapienza reports, as part of a collaboration with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

	May 6, 2013 News Flash: EPA Now Accountable to Public There is nothing more frustrating for a reporter than posing a legitimate, reasonable questions to a representative of a federal agency and, in response, being told to talk to the hand.

	May 1, 2013 Conflict of Lease and Legacy Provokes Controversy on the Half Shell The oysters grown and harvested in Drake's Estero -- part of the Pt. Reyes National Seashore, just north of San Francisco -- are the subject of a national controversy that only seems to grow as a plea by an oyster farm to stay in operation gets closer to federal appeals court.



	APRIL April 22, 2013 Seattle's Bullitt Center Opens Today as World's Greenest Office Building Seattle's Bullitt Center bills itself as the world's greenest office building for its net-zero design and local and sustainable materials. The six-story building generates all its own energy, harvests its own water and manages its own waste on site.

	April 18, 2013 Texas Plant Blast Kills Up to 15, Injures Hundreds A massive explosion tore through a fertilizer plant near the town of West, in central Texas, on Wednesday injuring more than 100, destroying several buildings, and sending potentially toxic fumes into the air, according to authorities.

	April 10, 2013 Portals to the Past: Cloning the Original Cherry Blossoms More than 1 million visitors flock to Washington, D.C. every spring to see the cherry blossoms. But the 100-year old trees need to be preserved. Scientists have been cloning the trees to save their heritage.

	April 3, 2013 After Oil Spill in Arkansas, Weighing Risks of Keystone Pipeline Extension An oil pipeline rupture caused the evacuation of more than 20 homes in Mayflower, Ark. The accident raised questions about the safety of the proposed Keystone Pipeline extension. Judy Woodruff hears debate from Anthony Swift of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Andrew Black of the Association of Oil Pipelines.



	MARCH March 29, 2013 EPA Advances New Proposal for Cleaner Gas Emissions The Obama administration announced a proposal requiring two-thirds less sulfur in gasoline and a reduction in other emissions beginning in 2017. Judy Woodruff and Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post discuss the announcement and why it's getting support from auto manufacturers but opposition from the oil and gas industry.

	March 26, 2013 'The World Needs You, Badly,' Edward O. Wilson Tells Young Scientists Edward O. Wilson's "Letters to a Young Scientist" is a book about finding your passion for science and following it faithfully. "Be prepared mentally for some amount of chaos and failure," he writes. "Daydream a lot."

	March 15, 2013 Decision Delayed on Dangerous Chemical Found in Drinking Water Science correspondent Miles O'Brien talks to scientists, members of the chemical industry and representatives from Pacific Gas and Electric about chromium-6 contamination in American drinking water. What is a safe level for humans to consume and why has the EPA stalled on setting a federal standard?

	March 14, 2013 Scientists Search for Solution to 'Toxic Cocktail' in Washington's Puget Sound In Washington state's Puget Sound, scientists have made discovery of a "toxic cocktail," made up of excess rainfall that flows into the nearest body of water, carrying pollutants along with it. Kate Campbell from KCTS-9 in Seattle reports on efforts to prevent that runoff from making it into the sound.

	March 13, 2013 Protecting Americans From Danger in the Drinking Water In part one of a two-part series Miles O’Brien travels to Hinkley, Calif., the town featured in the movie Erin Brockovich, for its multi-million battle over contaminated groundwater. O'Brien reports on the investigation into the chemical Chromium-6, the agency that regulates it and industry's influence on the process.

	March 13, 2013 Erin Brockovich: The Real-Life Unhappy Ending On tonight's NewsHour, Miles O'Brien reports on the decline of Hinkley, Calif., the town featured in the movie Erin Brockovich. Here's the not-so-Hollywood version of what really happened in Hinkley and beyond.

	March 12, 2013 Trouble in the Water: Acidifying Oceans Hinder Health of Northwest Shellfish The world's oceans are absorbing carbon dioxide at an unprecedented rate and the resulting acidification is transforming marine ecosystems. Hari Sreenivasan reports on how ocean acidification is already affecting oysters and other shellfish in the U.S.

	March 4, 2013 President Obama Nominates Candidates for Energy and Environmental Team At the first cabinet meeting of his second term, President Obama announced nominations for the positions of budget, energy, and environmental policy. Gwen Ifill talks with lobbyist Scott Segal of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP and Michael Brune, president of the Sierra Club, to learn more about the president's picks and larger agenda.



	FEBRUARY Feb. 27, 2013 Donnel Baird Uses Community Power to Generate Green Energy Projects The rugged setting of Donnel Baird's youth helped shape his social entrepreneur goals later in life.

	Feb. 18, 2013 Proposed Keystone Pipeline Prompts Protest March, Heated Debate The proposed Keystone Pipeline has spurred a large march protest in Washington and heated advocacy from supporters and opponents. Judy Woodruff weighs the debate with Bob Deans of the National Resources Defense Council and Scott Segal of Bracewell and Guiliani, the firm representing energy companies pushing the extension.

	Feb. 13, 2013 EPA Contaminated by Conflict of Interest In 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency was poised to cite evidence of cancer risks in hexavalent chromium, a chemical found in tap water. Yet a special EPA panel urged the agency to delay action, citing research by the American Chemistry Council, a powerful industry lobby. How influential was the ACC in the EPA's decision?

	Feb. 13, 2013 Ouster of Scientist from EPA Panel Shows Industry Clout Deborah Rice served as chair of an EPA panel assessing the safety levels of flame retardants in 2007, but her removal from that panel led some to believe that a powerful industry lobbying group had influenced the EPA and unfairly targeted the scientist.

	Feb. 11, 2013 Economic Problems Wash Ashore as Lake Michigan's Water Level Hits Record Low Lake Michigan, one of the crown jewels of Chicago and the Midwest, has recently experienced a dramatic drop in water levels. As Elizabeth Brackett of WTTW Chicago reports, that drop has created economic problems for towns that border its shore.



	JANUARY Jan. 31, 2013 Al Gore's 'Future' Tackles Technology, Global Economy, American Democracy Former Vice President Al Gore's new book, "The Future: Six Drivers of Climate Change," examines major shifts in science, technology, the global economy and democracy. Jeffrey Brown talks with the Nobel Prize winner about his vision of the future, as well as the recent sale of Gore's television network Current to Al-Jazeera.

	Jan. 31, 2013 Al Gore: Public Conditioned to Accept Atmosphere as 'Open Sewer' Former Vice President Al Gore expressed concern over the power of special interest on the issue of climate change. “The public is lulled into an acceptance of going along with this policy of using the atmosphere as an open sewer,” Gore told the PBS NewsHour.

	Jan. 27, 2013 Finding an Economic, Environmental Win-Win in Davos One of the topics that's come to the fore at the World Economic Forum over the last decade of meetings is global climate change. A conference bringing thousands of people from across the planet to a little town in the Swiss Alps can't be too self-righteous. At the same time it is making efforts to be green. Green-er, anyway.

	Jan. 25, 2013 San Francisco on Track to Become Zero Waste City San Francisco is trying to become the first city with zero waste. By requiring residents and businesses to separate compostable items such as food scraps, as well as recyclable items, NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels reports that the city has already reduced a huge amount of garbage from ending up in landfills.

	Jan. 25, 2013 Getting Trashed on the Job: My Day in the Dump San Francisco -- urged on by a state law that mandates recycling -- has adopted a goal of zero waste. That means recycling everything. And that's a little hard to imagine when you're standing waist-deep in garbage at a landfill, surrounded by things you might never consider could be recycled.

	Jan. 22, 2013 News Wrap: House GOP Ready to Raise Debt Ceiling Though Mid-May In other news Tuesday, House Republicans readied to vote on a plan to raise the nation's debt ceiling through May 19th. Rep. Paul Ryan said they wanted to shift focus to making major spending cuts. Also, parts of the Midwest are in a deep freeze, with temperatures dipping to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.